Dwell time is two minutes higher when brand sites are mobile-ready, but less than half of top UK brands have websites optimised for smartphones and tablets, according to a new study.
Research released by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) reveals the benefits and importance of having a fully optimised mobile website for brands.
The research, which used data from GSMA Mobile Media Metrics (MMM), a partnership between comScore, the GSMA and the UK mobile operators, and Google’s GetMoMeter tool to manually check the top 100 UK advertiser websites across a range of sectors, shows the significant positive impact that a well-developed, optimised mobile site can create for brands.
The study proved how a significant percentage of the top 100 brands such as Tesco, B&Q and Boots are starting to sit up and listen, with nearly 40% now having a mobile-optimised website.
Google’s, ‘thinkmobile’ research released in 2011 revealed that 79% of long tail brands did not have a mobile-optimised site- indicating an uptake in mobile optimisation and proving the speed at which mobile is being adopted amongst brands in the UK.
Using the GSMA MMM data, the study showed that the advertisers with a mobile-optimised website enjoyed increased engagement with consumers. Amongst the advertisers that had a mobile-specific site, average dwell time was 5 minutes, 2 minutes longer than the average for advertisers without a mobile web presence.
Furthermore, consumers who visit an advertiser site that is mobile-optimised looked at on average 19 pages per person – 33% more than if the site was not optimised (12 pages).
Research has proved that the mobile web is exploding with over fourteen million people in the UK now accessing the internet from their phone every day*. With consumers now constantly connected it’s crucial that brands are ready for mobile to ensure they are making their content easily accessible and creating a seamless experience while online.
However there is still a way to go with 60% of the top 100 brands still missing out on the opportunity to engage with their consumers on mobile with a non-optimised mobile site holding them back. Last year IAB research revealed that not having a mobile site can really have a detrimental effect on business, as 30% of respondents said they would not bother purchasing an item, or would buy it from a different website, if their first choice of retailer did not work on a mobile**.
IAB’s senior mobile manger, Alex Kozloff said: “This study has shown that, across a number of measures, optimising websites increases consumer engagement. Though it is encouraging seeing that 40% of the top UK advertisers are sitting up and listening to this, we still have work to do with the rest.”
*Source: comScore/GSMA MMM, June 2012
**Source: Sources: IAB John Lewis Mobile Campaign Research
Source: www.iabuk.net
